Oral tradition

Collection title: Cahiers de musiques traditionnelles. XII (1999): Noter la musique Analyzes in detail two examples of transcription of monophonic music with complex rhythmic strata that interact in subtle and fluid ways: , a partially improvised Hungarian traditional song of the genre practiced chiefly in Transylvania, and the benediction section of the , an Ashkenazi prayer celebrating the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt.

Although there have been much academic research about the Veda cantillation (the performance of a collection of Indian hymns) little had been done to reveal the basic principles which govern the Vedic cantillation. This study summarizes the characteristics of the Rig-Veda cantillation and discusses the implications for more general musical issues. The Rig- Veda hymns represent an extreme case in which the performance style is crucial in determining the style of the cantillation.

The article describes field work in Israel during 1971 in the research of Bukarian music. It describes the cultural influences and origins of the Bukharian community. Urban communities were more pluralistic and multicutural and Jewish musicians contributd to them. It appears that in Israel as in the Soviet Union Bukharian music was to a large extent modernized and even lost. The article follows the story of one Bukharian family which arrived in Israel in the 1930s.

A comprehensive survey of the Masorah, its components and their development, its history, writers and transmitters, traditions, systems, and symbols.

An approach to Jewish linguistic, cultural, and musical traditions that would explicitly integrate their multifaceted oral dimensions is advocated. Such an interdisciplinary approach would yield many benefits for the individual areas of study. Examples of the approach are given.